Crepes

Yield about 12 crepes (depends on pan size)
Preparation Time :0:30

Ingredients

1 cup milk

1 each egg large

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp oil

1 cup flour

Preparation

In a large bowl mix milk with egg, salt, oil and flour. Beat
well, as you cannot overbeat this preparation. Let it rest in the
refrigerator covered for 30 minutes. It should be the consistency
of heavy cream at that time. If too thick, thin it slightly, as you
want thin crepes.

Wipe a non stick frying pan (about 5-7") with a paper towel
that has been moistened with oil. You should leave the thinnest of
films. Set heat at medium to medium-high. When there is the first
perceptible shimmer of smoke, use a 1 oz ladle or measure and pour
into the center of the pan. Pour it all at once, and do not add
more. Lift the pan off the fire and turn it this way and that to
spread the batter as much as you can. It should cover the entire
pan. If not, you need a smaller pan or a larger spoon. Try using a
shot glass, if the ladle doesn't work out for you. The point is to
deposit the minimum amount of batter to do the job and to deposit
JUST that amount every time.

The batter will make a hissing noise when it hits the pan if the
heat is high enough, When you see brown on the edges, gently free
the crepe with a plastic spatula, or bang the pan bottom on the
stove to free the crepe. When the heat is correctly adjusted, the
edges will turn brown just as the crepe is ready to turn. That is
where you want to set your heat. Make note of the setting for
future reference as once you begin, you don't want to change the
heat setting.

Then turn or toss it over onto the uncooked side and briefly
allow it to take some spots of color and dry out and moist spots.
Turn it out onto a cloth towel or lightly greased surface to
cool.

Allow crepes to cool. Make stacks of ten, and only wrap when
totally cool. (In the professional kitchen we make stacks of ten
into stacks of fifty, as we used hundreds! If the chef was mad at
me (frequently) I would stand all day doing this.)

This recipe is very plain. You could change the oil, which
helps the non stick pan, to butter for flavor. You can use some
flavored spirit as part of the milk. You can use egg yolks instead
of whole egg. Chopped parsley can be added. Chefs use crepes in
many different ways, from stuffing them with a filling and
gratinating them with a sauce (Spinach Stuffed Crepes with Feta,
Sauce Mornay) to Crepes Suzette.

Notes: It used to be a test for an apprentice
to use seven pans at once for making crepes. This is a very basic
recipe and there are many variations. It was among the first thing
I learned to cook, from a Dione Lucas article on Shrove
Tuesday.